Animafest Zagreb: The Best Animated Films Are Coming

From 8 to 13 June, Zagreb will host the 36^th edition of Animafest, the World Festival of Animated Film. This year’s repertoire of Animafest consists of more than 300 films from 47 countries. Some will be premiers; some will be screened for the first time outside of their countries’ borders and some are being screened in a series of the most successful movie festivals.

Spectators from Zagreb and numerous visitors will be able to enjoy screenings of films of many of the world’s and Croatia’s best filmmakers who talk about topical issues using their artistic mastery and individual sensibility.

The competition programme consists of several categories: short films, feature films, student films, films for children and the youth as well as Croatian films. The winner of Grand Prix at the Animafest Zagreb is immediately qualified for Oscars of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and for the European Animation Award.

As decided by the Festival Council, the winner of this year's Lifetime Achievement Award is British animation artist Joanna Quinn, who is also a winner of many world awards and a frequent participant of the festival in Zagreb.

It is a tradition for the festival to be accompanied by an eventful additional programme so an international scientific gathering on animation will take place, as well as a special programme with innovative films from the current global production, a programme dedicated to the greats of world animation and similar. There are also special workshops intended for young authors.

The festival was established in 1972, as the second oldest film festival of its type. It was launched owing to the global reputation of the filmmakers from the Zagreb School of Animation. At first the festival was held biennially, but as of 2005, artists of the world animation meet in Zagreb and show their work annually.

More information is available at www.animafest.hr.